The Price of Seduction

by Nina Blake

  She raised her eyebrows. “You’re assuming I’ll come.”

  “Do you have a better offer for the weekend?”

  Her weekends had been a bit stale since her recent break-up but Conrad didn’t need to know that.

  She shrugged. “You don’t know what I get up to on the weekends.”

  “You said yourself that you need to know as much as possible about Il Bosco to do your job properly. What better way to learn more about the property than to experience it first hand?”

  “It’s just that I’d have appreciated a little more notice. Perhaps then Olivia would have been able to come too.”

  “Are you afraid you’re not up to the job on your own?”

  “Not at all. I’m very good at my job. I presume that’s why you called Kelly Communications.”

  “Some jobs can be more complicated than others.”

  He was right on that account. She’d dealt with some demanding clients but had never been in a situation like this before.

  She stretched out her arm for a handshake. “If we stick to business it doesn’t have to be complicated at all.”

  His eyes lingered on her. “Bree, this is one weekend. That’s all.”

  * * *

  Olivia and Bree strode out of the building, Olivia’s stark silence a clear message that her boss wasn’t happy. As they slipped into the back seat of a cab just outside the building, Bree was overcome with sudden claustrophobia.

  Outside the cocoon of the vehicle, the traffic was moving slowly. Sydney traffic was a nightmare at the best of times. She was stuck in the cab for the duration and although the trip wouldn’t be a long one, it already felt torturous.

  “How long have you been working for me?” Olivia asked.

  “Nearly two months now,” Bree said.

  “I thought you came to work for me because I scored some of the best PR projects, some of the most prestigious clients. Don’t you like working for Kelly Communications?”

  “So far the job has been everything I’ve hoped it would be and I believe I’ve been performing well too.”

  “Then, do you want to tell me what was that all about?” Olivia snapped.

  Bree looked the older woman in the eye. “I don’t like mixing business with pleasure.”

  “I don’t care what you like or don’t like. I care about winning Conrad Savage’s business. He’s one of the richest men in Australia.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard that before.”

  “Bree, this isn’t the time or place. I didn’t build up Kelly Communications by letting good clients slip through my fingers. If we win the contract for Il Bosco, we may also get some of his other business. We’ll make new connections and then who knows where it will lead.”

  “I’ll do whatever work is required for the account. I’m just not sure about going away with him for the weekend.”

  “I’d be going too if I didn’t have a family reunion. It sounds like an amazing place and I’m sure it’ll be a fabulous weekend. I wish I could go. It’s just as well he’s not interested in me.”

  Bree raised her eyebrows. “So you think he’s interested in me?”

  “I’m a fifty-five year old married woman. He’s certainly not interested in me but he’s seen your work, seen you in action at that charity dinner. You must have made an impression on him. He must know what you’re capable of.”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Don’t be so naïve.”

  Bree glared at her boss. “Are you saying I should sleep with him just to make sure we get the account?”

  “That’s not what I said at all.”

  No, but it was what she meant.

  She didn’t need to say it.

  * * *

  Bree opened the fridge at her Bondi apartment, scanning its contents for dinner ingredients. Luckily there was some boiled jasmine rice, plenty of vegetables and a chicken breast for a stir-fry.

  After that she’d have a large serving of ice cream for dessert. She needed some comfort food after what had happened that day over the Eden account.

  She should have known something like this would happen. Though she’d been doing well at work, she’d sensed an uneasy undercurrent. And now this.

  Taking the job at Kelly Communications was a big step up the corporate ladder for Bree, both in terms of the projects she was managing and her salary, but she hadn’t taken it for the prestige or the pay. Her ambitions were more complex than that.

  That’s why she’d left her hometown of Melbourne straight after she finished her degree. She was offered a good job with a top firm and since Sydney was the place to get ahead, she’d made sure she was in the thick of it.

  That was seven years ago but Bree remembered it well. She’d had a steady boyfriend for two years at university but had found no difficulty in leaving him behind. She always knew what she wanted.

  She’d always been that way, ever since her dad had lost his job when she was thirteen. They’d had to sell up and buy a smaller house. Bree had changed schools and it had taken her ages to fit in and find friends. She’d decided back then that she was going to build a career for herself and make sure she was financially secure.

  Olivia Kelly had a reputation for being hard nosed but Kelly Communications was one of the top PR firms in Sydney. When Bree heard there was an opening, she had to try for the position and it wasn’t the kind of job she could turn down.

  It had been a difficult time for her emotionally too. Having spent two years of her life with Trevor Daniels, she’d thought marriage might be on the cards in the near future but she couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Trevor had shown her how easy it was to recover from that relationship when he was dating a new woman within a week of their break-up. Two years together and it only took a few days for him to pull himself together. It showed Bree just how little he’d cared about her.

  She certainly wasn’t going to lie stagnant and mope around the house after that happened so when the opportunity arose at Kelly Communications she snapped it up. A little too quickly perhaps.

  She would not sleep with Conrad for his business. It was as simple as that and she had no problem stating that bluntly to both Olivia and Conrad.

  The dilemma remained. Should she still go to Il Bosco, purely with public relations in mind? As long as she was clear with Conrad that their relationship was strictly business, there was no reason she shouldn’t go. Except Bree didn’t like being cornered or coerced when she was perfectly capable of making up her own mind.

  She still wasn’t sure she could continue working for someone like Olivia but having only been at the firm for two months put her in a tricky situation. It wouldn’t look good to leave a job after such a short time and potential employers would question her about it. Despite her actions, Olivia had an impeccable reputation and Bree wasn’t in a position to accuse her of anything.

  She’d have to come to a decision quickly. Conrad expected an answer by tomorrow and Bree didn’t know what the reply should be.

  Part way through chopping the celery and red capsicum, the phone rang.

  “Hi Steph,” Bree said into the phone to her friend. “I’ve had one heck of a day today.”

  “Really?” Steph asked.

  “I had a horrible feeling it was going to be someone from work or one of my clients.”

  “If you’ve had a bad day, this might not be the best time to talk.”

  “Believe me, my day can’t get any worse than it already has. Whatever it is, it’s best to get it over with.”

  “So do you already know? I was phoning you ’cause I thought it’d be best if you knew sooner rather than later. But if you already know… ”

  “Know what?”

  Stephanie’s voice was soft. “So you don’t know?’

  “I don’t think so, but you’ll have to be a bit more specific.”

  “There’s no gentle way of telling you, Bree. Do you have today’s paper?”

  “Yes.” She sidled over to the dining t
able and stared blankly at the front page.

  “It’s in the social pages.”

  Bree flicked to the middle of the newspaper and stared at the full colour picture of her ex-boyfriend with his attractive blond partner. Bree had never met Shannon Graham but she’d seen her picture in the paper many times before.

  She read the caption.

  Corporate lawyer and man about town, Trevor Daniels, stunned friends and family with the surprise announcement of his engagement to socialite Shannon Graham last night at the premiere of La Boheme at the Theatre Regale.

  “I’m sorry, really I am,” Steph said. “I wish there was some nicer way of telling you.”

  Bree mumbled something and hung up the phone but wasn’t sure what she’d said.

  Slumping into a chair, she felt her stomach rise into her throat. Her head in her hands, she stared at the newspaper as though an answer or a miracle would jump up at her.

  It had taken a couple of months for her to acknowledge that she didn’t love him any more. She’d loved him once. Devoted two years of her life to him. And it hadn’t worked out. Hadn’t been what she thought it was.

  They’d only broken up two months ago and he was engaged, out on the town with his glamorous fiancée, drinking champagne.

  While Bree was chopping vegetables for another dinner at home alone.

  Had she meant so little to him?

  She knew the answer. Trevor had left her in no doubt as to his low opinion of her. She didn’t want to think about that. Didn’t want to go there again.

  She’d left it behind her and refused to let their break-up quash her confidence. Instead, she’d used it as a turning point in her life, taking on her new position at Kelly Communications.

  It was too much for one day. First the incident with Olivia and Conrad, and now this.

  No, she wouldn’t let Trevor do this to her. He’d broken it off with her months ago and that relationship wasn’t worth grieving over a second time.

  No man was going to push her around again. No man would take advantage of her.

  It came to her in a flash. Time to take control.

  She’d get on with her life and travel to Il Bosco with Conrad but it’d be on her terms. He’d said this was only one weekend and she’d make sure it was a memorable one.

  If he thought he was in charge, she would show him just how wrong he was.

  Chapter three

  “You didn’t tell me the helicopter wouldn’t have doors,” Bree said.

  Conrad took her arm, leading her away from the chopper across the red dirt landing strip. If he wasn’t mistaken, she seemed a bit unsteady on her feet. That seemed odd.

  They’d spent several hours together on the plane from Sydney to Kim’s Creek in the topical far north-west, followed by a short helicopter ride to Il Bosco. She hadn’t complained about anything earlier. Hadn’t said much at all, in fact.

  “It was windy but you weren’t cold, were you?” he asked.

  “That’s not it,” she said. “I have a bit of a problem with heights.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  She shrugged. “Because I knew the only alternative was a two hour trip by four wheel drive.”

  “I could’ve arranged it.”

  He would’ve too. He didn’t like to think of her sitting in the chopper petrified, all the time putting on a brave face.

  “I knew I could do this if I set my mind to it,” she said. “It was so much quicker. More efficient.”

  Even now, her face expressed her determination, her resolve to carry through on her decision. Strength and intelligence were both traits he found alluring.

  There was much more to this woman than met the eye and he was certain there was still more for him to discover.

  Lately, he hadn’t been able to get her off his mind. It wasn’t that he thought of her every minute of the day but he was surrounded by people who indirectly made him think of her. His colleagues and cronies at work, the women who flirted with him and nearly everyone with whom he came into contact. They all pandered to him and told him what he wanted to hear whereas Bree told it the way she saw it.

  Still, he knew what he wanted. Seduction was the only thing on his mind. On that he was very clear. He wasn’t looking for a lifelong commitment when a sexual relationship would provide him with all the satisfaction he needed.

  But the difficulty lay in her resistance, something Conrad hadn’t come up against in a woman in a long time. Or perhaps not at all.

  They entered the lush tropical gardens of The Residence and approached the main building, lime washed in colours which echoed the aged rust red rocks of the area. Cantilevered over the Chelsea River, both the building and location were spectacular. Not as big as his vision, though. That was bigger.

  Inside, he asked for them to be shown straight to their rooms. They’d travelled four thousand kilometres and Bree would no doubt want to refresh herself.

  She wandered into her room ahead of him, looking around. “This is a wonderful.”

  A couple of large exotic rugs were scattered on the cool terracotta floor. The king size bed was decked out in crisp white linen, complimented by several bright embroidered silk scatter cushions and an ornate Balinese bed head. Floor to ceiling windows showed off views across the river to the sandstone cliffs and lush vegetation on the other side of the gorge.

  “The way you described it,” Bree began, “I was expecting something second rate but this is beautiful.”

  She reached across to the remote control on the wall and switched off the air conditioning. There was a high-pitched beep, then the gentle background hum disappeared and Conrad felt the air grow humid.

  “I plan on keeping these lodgings,” he said. “But compared to the resort I’m going to build, believe me, this will pale into insignificance.”

  “What will it have that this won’t?” She shot him a look to suggest he was being ridiculous.

  “An airstrip, for one thing. This is a remote location and that’s the big attraction but we have to make it easier for the jet set to get here. I want the likes of Madonna and Tom Cruise to come here with their families. People like them will expect five star facilities to match the spectacular scenery.”

  “I thought this place had a five star rating?”

  “It does but, pretty though they are, there are only five rooms here. I’ve got bigger plans. I want a resort that matches the magnitude of the landscape.”

  “This’ll do me for the time being.” Bree smiled as she dropped down onto a leather chair. “Where’s your room?”

  “Through there.” Conrad pointed towards an ornate wooden door.

  The smile left her face. “So our rooms have adjoining doors?”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t impinge on your privacy.”

  “Still, it was a bit presumptuous, don’t you think?”

  With any other woman, he’d have thought she was teasing him. Not Bree, though. She was putting him in his place. Still, it didn’t mean he had to admit she was right.

  “Not at all,” he said. “It would have been presumptuous to have booked only one room with one bed.”

  “No, that would have been rude.”

  “And I am neither rude nor presumptuous.”

  Did she think he was going to force or cajole her into sleeping with him? No, he was sure he wouldn’t have to do that.

  He’d had his share of women but he was a lot more selective nowadays. Cold, hard experience had taught him the dangers of taking a sexual relationship too casually. He wasn’t going to repeat those mistakes.

  With Bree, there’d be no mistake about it.

  She was clever too. If he managed to grab hold of her, it wouldn’t be by accident or whimsy but by design and a firm decision on her part. She wouldn’t fall into his arms and she wouldn’t allow herself to be taken or coerced. She’d walk into his arms with her eyes and her mind open, knowing exactly what she was doing.

  If she wanted him. But he wasn’t ce
rtain she did.

  None of the old rules of seduction would apply if he was going to win her over and get her into bed. A five star room, fine wine, exquisite food, the best that money could buy. None of it would mean anything to this woman.

  He’d have to play it by instinct and make it up as he went along. He was used to working on the fly in business, making split second decisions, deciding what would be bought and sold.

  But this wasn’t business. It was something else.

  “I’m going to have a long hot shower now, or perhaps a bath,” Bree said.

  Their bags were following by road and should arrive in an hour or two.

  “You’ll find everything you need in the bathroom,” he said. “I’ll get going and see to some refreshments.”

  She walked towards the en suite bathroom and closed the door behind her. He heard the shower running and closed his eyes briefly as he thought of her in the bathroom. She’d be peeling off her clothes, slipping her tee shirt off, unfastening her bra.

  He knew exactly what her breasts would look like even though he’d never seen them. Full and shapely, they would fit into the palm of his hand perfectly, overflowing his hands ever so slightly. It wasn’t so much that her breasts were large as her frame was petite, making her breasts seem larger than they were.

  Then she’d unzip her pants and hook her thumbs into the waistband to pull them down.

  Meanwhile she probably had no idea he was still standing in her room imagining her naked.

  Conrad turned abruptly and headed into the lounge for a long cold drink, determined to shake that woman off, if only for a while. He had a couple of phone calls to make and decided to get them out of the way first, using one of the satellite phones. Mobile phones were useless in such a remote location.

  Fifteen minutes or so passed and he grabbed a refreshments tray from an attendant, taking it into Bree’s room himself. He bent over to place it on the coffee table, then turned as he heard the bathroom door open. The patter of Bree’s footsteps followed.

  A look of surprise washed over her face. “Have you been here all this time?”

  “No, but I thought you’d want something to eat after the trip. Not to mention a cold drink.”